Climate change seen as top threat, but U.S. power a growing worry - poll

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Climate change seen as top threat, but U.S. power a growing worry - poll

FILE PHOTO: Vapor is released into the sky at a refinery in Wilmington, California March 24, 2012. REUTERS/Bret Hartman

BERLIN (Reuters) - Climate change is the top security concern in a poll conducted by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre, followed by Islamist terrorism and cyber attacks while respondents in a growing number of countries worried about the power and influence of the United States.

In 13 of 26 countries, people listed climate change as the top global threat, with the Islamic State militant group topping the list in eight and cyber attacks in four, the non-profit, non-partisan Pew Research Centre said in its report.

Worries about climate change have increased sharply since 2013, with double-digit percentage point increases seen in countries including the United States, Mexico, France, Britain, South Africa and Kenya, according to the poll of 27,612 people conducted between May and August, 2018.

North Korea's nuclear programme and the global economy were also significant concerns, while respondents in Poland named Russian power and influence as the top threat.

The largest shift in sentiment centred on the United States, it said, with a median of 45 percent of people naming U.S. power and influence as a threat in 2018, up from 25 percent in 2013, when Barack Obama was U.S. president.

In 10 countries, including Germany, Japan and South Korea, roughly half of respondents or more saw U.S. power and influence as a major threat to their nation, up from eight in 2017 and three in 2013, the poll showed.

In Mexico, where those concerns have spiked since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, the percentage jumped to 64 percent, the poll showed.

Trump has railed against illegal migration and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and is pressing to build a wall between the two countries.

In 2018, a median of 61 percent of respondents across all countries represented viewed cyber attacks as a serious concern, up from 54 percent in 2017.

The number of countries that saw Islamic State as a threat fell by double-digit percentage points in Israel, Spain, the United States and Japan.

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I find it quite worrying that nearly half of the people around the world view the US as a major threat, numbers which have skyrocketed in the last two years, from 8 to 50%. Since Mr. Trump has taken power, what was almost a non issue, is one of the greatest concerns. To my mind, it means that Mr. Trump is giving an exceptionally poor performance, not assisted by his deceitful and manipulative means, or his fundamental character which so, so many see as fatally flawed. We all make mistakes, but I pray America doesn't repeat its huge one, in the elections next year, and the world can start to move forward again.

As for the climate, it should be our top priority, denial of which is at least partially to blame for the concern so many have with administrations who choose to ignore it.

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The largest shift in sentiment centred on the United States, it said, with a median of 45 percent of people naming U.S. power and influence as a threat in 2018, up from 25 percent in 2013, when Barack Obama was U.S. president.

Finally. The truth is laid bare. Irrefutable proof that the MAGA movement under the greatest US President ever Donald Trump has indeed made America more powerful. Just like it said on the box. How much more powerful? Almost double. What an amazing achievement.

And it is not lost on me, but what was once called "Global warming" is now called "climate change" after the theory of global warming was well and truly debunked. Can't believe so many are blind to this.

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I find it quite worrying that nearly half of the people around the world view the US as a major threat, numbers which have skyrocketed in the last two years, from 8 to 50%. Since Mr. Trump has taken power, what was almost a non issue, is one of the greatest concerns. To my mind, it means that Mr. Trump is giving an exceptionally poor performance, not assisted by his deceitful and manipulative means, or his fundamental character which so, so many see as fatally flawed. We all make mistakes, but I pray America doesn't repeat its huge one, in the elections next year, and the world can start to move forward again.

As for the climate, it should be our top priority, denial of which is at least partially to blame for the concern so many have with administrations who choose to ignore it.

Trump will be re-elected in a landslide. Global warming/climate change/whatever they call the next world ending crisis will be assigned to the dust bin of history along with all the other apocalyptic visions (both religious and other) that have ever been created. The earths climate has always been changing, heck 10,000 or so years ago much of north America and northern Europe was covered by hundreds of feet of ice. The cave men BBQ wooly mammoths over wood fires definitely did not cause that warming period and in all likelihood a great portion of the currently observed warming is natural as well.

Before you start calling me a holocaust denier (I mean global warming/whatever we are calling this crap theory this week) please tell me how much of the current warming is anthropogenic and how much is just a natural cycle? If you say it is all manmade you are a moron.

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Finally. The truth is laid bare. Irrefutable proof that the MAGA movement under the greatest US President ever Donald Trump has indeed made America more powerful. Just like it said on the box. How much more powerful? Almost double. What an amazing achievement.

And it is not lost on me, but what was once called "Global warming" is now called "climate change" after the theory of global warming was well and truly debunked. Can't believe so many are blind to this.

'

Hell, 11% of the USA population think that Elvis is still alive and that the moon landings were staged and never occurred. Never underestimate the ability of people (in fairly large numbers) to be completely dumb. You do so at your own peril.

Edited February 11 by Ahab

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Hell, 11% of the USA population think that Elvis is still alive and that the moon landing were staged and never happen. Never underestimate the ability of people (in fairly large numbers) to be completely dumb. You do so at your own peril.

“Never underestimate the ability of people (in fairly large numbers) to be completely dumb”

While Trump didn’t actually win the popular vote, I do take your point.

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Disgusting racist anti white propaganda. Hate speech at its finest. And I have no idea what this BS has to do with faux climate change being a worry for the intellectually challenged? Can you clarify matters?

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Hell, 11% of the USA population think that Elvis is still alive and that the moon landings were staged and never occurred. Never underestimate the ability of people (in fairly large numbers) to be completely dumb. You do so at your own peril.

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I find it quite worrying that nearly half of the people around the world view the US as a major threat, numbers which have skyrocketed in the last two years, from 8 to 50%. Since Mr. Trump has taken power, what was almost a non issue, is one of the greatest concerns. To my mind, it means that Mr. Trump is giving an exceptionally poor performance, not assisted by his deceitful and manipulative means, or his fundamental character which so, so many see as fatally flawed. We all make mistakes, but I pray America doesn't repeat its huge one, in the elections next year, and the world can start to move forward again.

As for the climate, it should be our top priority, denial of which is at least partially to blame for the concern so many have with administrations who choose to ignore it.